Home Front: Hidden Treasures: Vintage for Your Walls

Reproduction French advertising posters are so 2006. Why settle for something you can find preframed at Bed, Bath and Beyond when you can have the real thing?

Next time you're in the vicinity of Virginia Commonwealth University, drop by the Richmond Book Shop at 808 W. Broad St. This cluttered little store contains a wealth of antique printed material, including vintage ads and postcards, illustrations torn from old books, pin-up girls and even old wallpaper samples. There's even more at the store's stand in the West End Antiques Mall.

Flip through the files and see what you find for your walls. Fond of mustachioed ranch hands or menacing robots? They're all there in the pulp magazine section. "Usually ones with girls on them seem to be the big [sellers]," says Kathy Pritz, who was running the store on a recent Monday. "Even girls buy them."

One caveat: The pulps, true to their name, are fragile and can be a challenge to frame. But if you're looking to add a vintage touch to your home, go for the real stuff. Remember: Old is the new new. HS

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